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• 1 3/4 cups cherries
• 3/4 cup of half and half
• ¼ cup Solstice white chocolate (available at Harmons)

Dip

• ½ cup Solstice white chocolate
• ½ cup crushed Red Rock pistachios

Equipment

• 6 popsicle sticks
• 1 popsicle mold

Remove pit and stem from cherries. Blend cherries well until smooth. A few chunks are fine.

In a 1 quart pan over medium heat, scald half and half. Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate. Add to cherries and mix until combined. Pour into molds. Freeze for about 30 minutes before adding popsicle sticks. (This allows popsicle to set and hold the stick where it should be.) Place back in the freezer for 3-5 hours until frozen all the way through. To remove popsicles, take a bowl of warm water and rest the mold in a bowl for 5 seconds and then slide popsicles out. If they don’t slide out easily with minor wiggling, put back in the water for another 5 seconds. Do not just pull from the stick.

Once popsicles are removed from molds, place on parchment paper and back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. While the popsicles rest in the freezer, in a microwave-safe bowl put the ½ cup Solstice white chocolate. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir. If not completely melted, place back in the microwave for 20 seconds, remove, and stir. Continue that process until the chocolate is completely smooth. Place crushed pistachios in a bowl. Remove popsicles from freezer one at a time. Dip top of popsicle in white chocolate and then in the crushed pistachios. Place on parchment and back in the freezer. Continue with remaining popsicles.

1. Switch the cream and chocolate to sweetened beet juice for a Cherry Beet Ombre Popsicle
   • 1 3/4 cups cherries
   • ¼ cup water
   • ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
   • Pinch of pepper
   • 1/2 pound of beets, juiced (1/2 cup of beet juice)
   • 2 tbsp sugar

   Combine beet juice, vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper together. Mix until combined.

   Pour cherry mixture into the molds, about two-thirds of the way full. Put into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes, pull out and pour beet juice into the tops of the molds. Using your popsicle stick, you will distribute the beet juice into the cherry mixture just enough to give it that ombre coloring. Don’t stir the cherry but gently disrupt some of it so the beet juice can permeate that top layer.  Place back in the freezer until frozen all the way through (3-5 hours)

2. Try a fig puree instead of cherries! This unique Cream fig popsicle will get your guests' tastebuds tingling.

   • 1 3/4 cups figs
   • 1/4 cup of sugar
   • 1/4 cup water
   • 3/4 cup of half and half
   • ¼ cup Solstice white chocolate (available at Harmons)

Fresh figs can be tricky to find in the summer, but dried figs work great here. Just make sure to hydrate them- soak in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Blend with water and sugar until smooth. Follow the instructions above.